Sunday, November 12, 2017

Growing up on a farm in the midwest gave me lots of opportunities to see barns in the rural areas of Ohio. I still frequent this area to visit with family and friends. I like to travel the backroads looking for barns and other interesting scenery to paint. This is a barn I probably drove past over a hundred times because it was located between two different farms that I worked on with my family. It sits on a small hill overlooking the road and a small valley. I like to find barns that have a tile footer at the base. This is seldom used in new construction. New barns are constructed out of steel and aluminum. When I paint barns; I find the older structures are much more interesting and have more of a story to tell.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

I've been taking my paints with me to the beach a lot lately. I can paint while sitting under the comfort of the umbrella. I worked on this larger painting back in the studio using my sketch as a reference. It is always fun to sketch and observe the different people at the beach. When painting people I try not to get too much detail in the faces at such a small size. As they get further back in the distance, the smaller and less detailed they become. The different colors and sizes of umbrellas make the painting fun to view and more interesting. Are you ready for the beach?

Monday, June 12, 2017

While visiting Sedona in February I was able to paint along Oak Creek and capture a view of Cathedral Rock; which is a famous landmark on the Sedona, Arizona skyline. Cathedral Rock is carved from a redbed sandstone formed from coastal sand dunes near the ancient Pedregosa Sea. This was my first time painting the red rocks of Sedona. The early morning and late afternoon sun offer the best opportunities to see extravagant colors created by the light reflecting off the rocks. You have to paint rather quickly because the light will change the colors of the rocks fast. I highly recommend a trip to Sedona if you haven't been there before.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

During a recent trip to Arizona I found my first sighting of a Saguaro Cactus. They were much larger than I ever imagined. I had seen them before on many Western movies. It took me way too many years to get to Arizona but when I finally did I had to take some time and do an early morning watercolor painting of these species. These cactus can grow to over 70 feet tall and live for over 150 years. Maybe I'll be that tall someday, if I live to be over 150.